Mo' Beef's modest facade opens into world of flavor

Feb. 7, 2013

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The Italian beef sandwich can be ordered with sweet or hot peppers, or a mixture. Ed Peaco/For the News-Leader

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The small space on Walnut Street just west of Campbell Avenue may look like a sandwich shop, but it functions more like a gourmet bistro.

The small but wide-ranging menu, designed by chef and kitchen manager Tony Johnson, focuses on Italian-themed sandwiches and salads. However, the team of Johnson and owner Don Fairchild, also a chef, has conceived each item with original touches and enhanced flavors.

Mo’ Beef opened in early January and has been collecting customers at a steady rate, from lunch to early evening to late night, they said. So far, lunch is the most active period as the place becomes increasingly popular with downtown workers.

Fairchild and Johnson make most of their offerings from scratch, with several exceptions: fried green beans, mac and cheese, and sausages. The bread comes from The Artisan’s Oven, the Springfield provider of premium breads.

Tasting notes:

Capone Dog ($3): With a 2 a.m. close Thursday through Saturday, Mo’ Beef has attracted fun-loving nighthawks for whom this coated sausage on a stick is a frequent choice. But do not confuse it with a corn dog. The sausage is of the Italian variety, with savory seasonings and a hint of heat. The coating is a polenta mix fried to crispy, and the topping is a thick marinara.

The Don ($6): This Italian beef sandwich is dipped in its own juices and served with juice made from drippings from the roast and from Kobe beef stock. The Don comes with pickled bell peppers — sweet, hot or mixed. Fairchild said his exposure to the Italian beef sandwich stems from studying at Le Cordon Bleu and living in Chicago, where they are famous. “I had never had one before. And man, they’re good,” he said. The Mo’ Beef version, with pickled peppers and super-tender beef, evokes the taste of the 312 area code.

Three-berry salad ($5.50): This explosion of fruit tastes was a final exam for a course Johnson took in the culinary program at Ozarks Technical Community College. The flavors of blueberries and sliced strawberries, along with chewy pine nuts and smooth Havarti cheese, are brought together with raspberries in the form of a vinaigrette thoroughly coating spinach and spring greens. It’s an exciting and filling salad and a great value considering the quality ingredients and generous portions. Johnson said he got a low A or a high B for his final exam salad, and he got an A in the course — Garde Manger, a French term referring to cold dishes.

Caprese ($4): Here is another example of Mo’ Beef going way beyond expectations with a common menu item. This caprese uses mozzarella cheese of a lusciously soft consistency. While the typical caprese includes leaves of basil, the Mo’ Beef version uses a rich pesto that transforms a salad into a delicacy.

Italian ices ($2): During this visit, Fairchild and Johnson were offering orange (squeezed juice with pulp) and strawberry (fruit cooked down to juice). These light treats are an ideal way to finish a meal of hearty Italian fare.